Five Swedish regional game clusters will jointly develop a shared digital incubation process, and a prototype for a national Swedish accelerator program for game companies. The initiative aims to provide more equitable opportunities for game entrepreneurs no matter where in Sweden they are based.
The initiative is run by game clusters Sweden Game Arena in Skövde and Gothenburg, Game Habitat in Malmö, The Great Journey in Karlstad, Arctic Game in northern Sweden, and Gameport in Karlshamn. The initiative is organized within the project SCORE (Sustainable COllaboration for inter Regional Excellence) and is co-funded by the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket). The total project budget is SEK 13,4 million.
– There is tremendous innovation potential in the Swedish games industry but the level of support for entrepreneurs varies significantly depending on where in the country you are located. Sweden still lacks a nationally coordinated support structure for games. With SCORE we want to change that and build unified frameworks that help more teams succeed, says Marcus Toftedahl, Business Developer at Sweden Game Arena.
Learning from one another
Sweden is a global leader in game development with a total industry turnover exceeding SEK 90 billion in 2023. The industry is made up of 97% small and medium sized companies - an ecosystem with unique needs that must be addressed. The Swedish government has identified cultural and creative industries, which includes games, as a new Swedish base industry. The digital incubator initiative is one concrete step towards building sustainable infrastructure aligned with the industry's current needs.
– This project gives us a unique opportunity to learn from one another and develop something that raises the bar for everyone. In addition, in the long term, it lays the foundation for a national support structure that could be a game changer for Sweden’s competitiveness in the global games market, says Peter Lübeck, CEO of Game Habitat.
Inclusive structures
The initiative also aim to tackle one of the games industry’s biggest hurdles for growth: access to funds. Many investors lack knowledge of game specific business models, and unconscious bias can limit investment in companies founded by women and non-binary individuals. SCORE will address both of these issues by strengthening investor awareness and equipping the regional clusters with tools to build more inclusive support systems.
– SCORE enables us to offer more targeted support to young teams with strong potential and help more of them move from idea to startup and beyond. The fact that gender equality is integrated into every part of the project makes it even more impactful, says Jenny Brusk, Business Developer at Sweden Game Arena and founder of DONNA.
Furthermore, SCORE will aim to ensure that the Swedish games industry remain competitive globally by strengthening companies at an early stage, thus reducing the risk of valuable IP's being sold abroad. The initiative will also establishes collaborations throughout Europe to build a more resilient games industry also beyond Sweden’s borders.
SCORE will start in September 2025 and run through November 2028.